Bridle bit



March 14, 1950 A. l. GLU-'IA ETAL 2,500,312

, BRIDLE BIT Filed June 14, 1949 @albany J. liha, @liz/'er RwpLe Patented Mar. 14, 1950 BRIDLE BIT Anthony I. Gliha, Cleveland, and Oliver R. Ruple, North Randle, Ohio Application .pme 14, 1949, serial No. 98,894

7 Claims.

This invention relates to bridle-bits and more especially to a bit for racing horses, and has for its main object to provide a bit having means under the control of the jockey for the prevention of bolting.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bit of said vcharacter which will not inflict punishment upon the horse but be effective in a nudging action for proper guidance and control of the horse in the running of a race.

Another object of the invention is to provide a' bit of said character having a plain mouthpiece of cylindrical form between a pair of cheekplates, one of which supports a plurality of slidable nudging pins operative at the will of the jockey.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bit of said character of simple construction, light weight, and consisting mainly of plastic material.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan View of a bridle-bit constructed in accordance with our invention,

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof,

Fig. 3 is a section view of the left-hand portion of the bit taken on line 3-3 of Figl 4,

Fig. 4 is an end View of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a similar view to Fig. 3 of the righthand portion of the bit,

Fig. 6 is an inner face View of a disc for supy porting the nudging pins, and

Fig. 7 is a rear side View of the left-hand portion of the bit after the disc and the nudging pins supported thereby have been moved into nudging action.

Referring to the drawings, rI represents a mouth-piece of cylindrical form and suitable length and made preferably of plastic material. The, ends of the mouth-piece are reduced at 2 and 3 to provide shoulders at 4 and 5, and xed securely to said reduced ends and abutting said shoulders are cheek-plates 6 and 1 of circular form, which are also made of plastic material. The'cheek-plates 6 and 1 are provided with suitable and similar elongated strap openings designated by 8, 9 and I0 for attachment of the usual bridle straps and the reins. As shown, the strap opening which is positioned directly above the mouth-piece I, is provided for attachment of the head strap. and the lower opening 9, which is arranged on an angle, for attachment of the chin strap, and the larger rear opening Ill, which is positioned directly back of the mouth-piece, for attachment of the reins. I

The cheek-plate E is provided with a plurality of circular openings I I which are in alinement with the longitudinal center of the mouth-piece I and arranged in a circle concentric therewith,V

and the inner end edges of said openings are cupped out at I2. Slidably mounted in each of the openings 5I of the cheek-plate 6 and extend-v bores Il' and leave shoulders at I9 for engaging the disc I6. Said reduced ends I8 of the nudging pins i3 are cemented in the bores Il of the disc I6. In normal position, the nudging pin disc It is forced outwardly from the cheek-plate E by means of a coiled spring 20, the inner end of which fits over the reduced end 2 of the mouthpiece I and engages said cheek-plate and its outer end rests in a circular groove 2| of the nudging pin disc. The heads i4 of the pins I3 limit the outward movement of the disc I6 relative to the cheek-plate 6.

For enabling the jockey to actuate the disc IE inwardly against the outward action of the spring 20 and thereby cause the outer ends of the heads I Il of the nudging pins I3 carried by said disc to contact the cheek of the horse, the following means is provided:

The mouth-piece l is hollowed by boring through its entire length as indicated at 22, and xed in a central opening 23 of the disc I6 by means of nuts 24 and 25 at each side thereof is a threaded pin 25 extending inwardly and located opposite said bore. Fixed to the free inner end of the pin 26 is a length of flexible wire 21, which passes through the bore 22 of the mouth-piece I and terminates at its outer free end in a loop 28 for attachment of a suitable pull-strap 29 for the use of the jockey. The wire 21 is securely xed to the threaded pin 2B by providing the end of the pin with a bore 30 for receiving said wire and crimping it therein as indicated at 3|. reducing both the friction and the wear upon For asooie the flexible Wire 2i' due to moving contact with the inside of the mouth-piece and the exing of the wire at the turn, the outer periphery of the end of the bore 22 of the mouth-piece is curved and flared outwardly as at 32.

In practice, the usual head strap of the bridle is connected to the openings 0f the cheek-plates 6 and I, the usual chin strap is connected to the openings Q of said cheek-platesfand'the reins are connected to the openings I0 of saidicheekplates. The cylindrical piece i is placed in the mouth of the horse, the cheek-plates 6 and 1 at each side thereof, and the bridle straps are properly adjusted and fastened. The disc I6 carrying the nudging pins i3 is normally forced tothe left and away from the cheek-plate 6 by the action of the spring 26 and the heads of the nudging pins I3 are out of contact with the sides of the horses lips. If when running a race, the horse has a tendency to turn its head to the left, the jockey pulls upon the strap 2S, and through same, the flexible wir@ i and the pin 25, thereby forcing the disc it tothe right against the action of the spring 53 and causing the heads I4 of the nudging pins I3 to contact the left side of the horses lips and cause the horse to turn its head in the opposite direction. By alternate pulling and releasing of the strap, the jockey is able to control the tendency of the horse to bolt kand thereby cause it to keep its head in a straight-forward position and thus avoid lost motion and time in the running of the race.

The bit shown and described is for a horse with a tendency to bolt .to the left and the nudging pins are at the left for action to the right, but for a horse having a tendency to bolt tothe right, the bit would be reversed thereby placing the nudging pins at the right for action to the left against the right side of the Vhorses lips, and the jockey Would hold the pull-strap in .his left hand.

From the foregoing7 it is apparent that bit is light in weight, easy on thefmouth of the horse, and that by its use, a race h-orse with a tendency to bolt would be under the control of the jockey due to the -nudging action exerted through his use of the pull-strap, and that by thus maintaining the hcrses head in a straight-away position on the 't1-ack, loss in running time from bolting would be eliminated.

Having fullydescrbed tour invention, what We claim is:

.1. In a bridle-bit, the combination-ofA arnouthpiece, a cheek-plate fixed to `each .end .of the mouth-piece, .pins supported in one of the-cheekplates .and adapted to rnovelongitudinally relative to the `mouth-piece, a disc-supportingsaid pins, a spring tending to force thedisc in one direction, and means i'or manual ymovement of said disc in the other direction.

"2. vInabridle-bit, the combination of a mouthpiece, a cheek-plate xed to each end .of .the mouth-piece, pins slidably supported-in one of the cheek-plates, the pins having -heads at their inner ends, a disc, the outer ends of said pins fixedito-said dise, a spring between said disc and cheek-plate supporting said pins tending to force said disc and said pins in one direction, and means ier causing manual movement of saictdisc and said pins in the other direction to move the heads of said pins into contact withthe lipsof a horse in a nudging action. v

3. In bridle-bit, the oombinationof a mouthpiece, a cheek-plate xed .to Aeach end of the 4 mouth-piece, pins slidably supported in one of the cheek-plates, a disc supporting the pins, the pins having heads at their inner ends, a spring between said disc and the cheek-plate supporting said pins and tending to force the heads of the pins against the cheek-plate, the mouth-piece being hollow, and means passing through said mouth-piece and fixed to said disc for manually moving said disc against the'actionof said'spring'for causing the heads of Asaid pins lto nudge the side of the lips of the horse.

"4. In a bridle-bit, the combination of a mouthpiece, a cheek-plate xed to each end of the mouth-piece, members movably supported by one wardly, the mouth-piece being hollow, and a wire passing through said mouth-piece and fixed t0 said disc for manually moving same inwardly for causing said members supported thereby to contact the sideoi'th'e lips of a horse.

.5. In a bridle-bit, the combination of a mouthpiece, `a .cheek-plate fixed to each end of the mouth-piece, ymembers slidably supported by one ci the cheek-plates, a disc, the members having their outer ends fixed to the disc, a spring adapted'to-iorce the discoutwardly, the mouthpiece having-a bore throughout itslength, a pin fixed to said disc and'opposite the vbore of the mouth-piece, and alength of flexible material secured to saidpin and extending through the bore ofthe mouth-pieceformanually forcing said disc and the members supported thereby inwardly to cause said members to contact ,the sides of the lips of a horse.

5. In a bridle-bit, the combination of a mouthpiece, a cheek-plate fixed to each end of the mouth-piecapins `slidably..supported in one of the cheek-plates, thepins having heads at theirY inner ends, a disc, the outer ends of the pins being fixed to thedisathe mouth-piece having a bore `forfits entirelength, a bolt fixed to said discand opposite thecbore of -the mouth-piece, the disc havin(r a circular groove in its inner face and around said bolt, a-.coiied spring seated in said groove and engaging said cheek-platesupporting saidpins and: tending toiorce saiddisc outwardly, and a vlength .of iiexible wire vfixed to said bolt and extending through said bore of .the-mouthpiece beyondits end, .thefreeendof .the iiexible wire' terminating in a loop for attachment of a strap for pulling action of thejockey.

i7. In a bridie-bit,.the combination ofa mouthpiece, a cheek-plate 'xe'd lto each end of the mouth-piece, members Ymovably supported by one ofthe cheek-plates, a .disc ,supporting the membersrneans-tending to 'fiorcethe disc andmembers outwardly, and `.manual means for forcing said disc and members inwardly, .the cheekplates being provided with openings for attachment of the .head strap, the chin vstrap Yand the reins.

ANTHONY I. 'GLIHA OLIVER'R.LRUPLE.

REFERENCES 'CITED The following .references .are kof record in the le oi' this pat-ent:

UNITED (STATES .PATENTS Number "Name Date "962,134 Engle.--" F.Iune 21, 1910 

